Restaurants when utilizing dishwashers, sinks, and laundry machines generate a large amount of waste water which contains solid particles of food or other debris which is only temporarily suspended in the waste water. When a floor sink is used to receive such waste water, the solid particles can easily lodge in the sink or more likely will lodge in adjacent plumbing or the sewer system which will result in the blockage of the plumbing or sewer system over time. This blockage will result in the waste water being prevented from running through the plumbing or sewer system causing the waste water to back up and flood the adjacent floor. Such flooding is not only unsanitary but can also result in physically damaged articles that are positioned where they can come into contact with the backed up waste water. Furthermore, such plumbing backup can cause increased wear and breakdown of the waste water generating apparatus.
Various types of screens and the like have been used in the past to filter out suspended solid particles, but such screens have been used primarily in connection with particular types of equipment or appliances such as dishwashers. In situations where there are a large number of appliances being used by the establishment, there is of necessity a number of screens that would have to be periodically inspected, cleaned or replaced, which is inconvenient, time consuming and requires a high degree of maintenance. It is unfortunately a fact of life that many of the kitchen personnel are semi-skilled, resulting in poor maintenance and waste disposal techniques. Furthermore, a number of appliances do not have any screens so that suspended solids will pass directly into the plumbing and sewer system causing blockage of the plumbing or sewer system. Furthermore, the screens also become clogged in use and this has the same undesirable effect of causing the backing up of waste water with attended flooding and/or damage to appliances or equipment. In addition to the destructive aspects of such flooding, unsanitary conditions are caused which could result in health department violations causing the loss of the establishment's license or lawsuits from workers who may be injured from sliding on a slippery floor or customers who may become sick.
Numerous attempts have been made to solve many of the aforenoted waste water screening problems. In U.S. Pat. No. 1,817,376, a removable perforated tray is placed in a housing positioned downstream on the drain pipe of a sink. A threaded closure cap is screwed over one end of the housing and is provided with a handle for facilitating the placing and removing of the cap on and off of the housing. The strainer tray slides into the housing with its front wall extending below the bottom wall of the strainer tray so as to provide a stop against the side of the housing positioning the strainer tray within the housing and below the drain pipe. U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,406 discloses a filter trap assembly to be used in conjunction with a sink which includes an elongated vertical pipe section connected by an open end to the drain of a sink and includes a closed end defining a liquid reservoir. A filter housing is disposed intermediate of the open and closed ends and has a removable filter element disposed therein to engage the liquid flow passing along the length of the vertical pipe section to trap solid materials therein. This patent bears some similarities to the U.S. Pat. No. 1,817,376. U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,351 discloses a kitchen or bathroom strainer device in which an elongated cylinder is mounted beneath the sink in communication with the sink drain. A mesh strainer holder is mounted within the cylinder housing and a disposable mesh strainer is mounted within the strainer holder. This mesh strainer is in the form of a semi-circular sleeve which is positioned to intersect the drain pipe and is removable from the cylindrical housing by removal of a rotatable cap which is mounted in the cylindrical housing. U.S. Pat. No. 4,321,713 discloses a large capacity drainage receptacle for flush mounting on a surface to be drained. The drainage receptacle is constructed with a specially configured mounting flange from which the receptacle body integrally depends. The drainage receptacle is formed of a light weight thin wall stainless steel and is configured to support a strainer basket which catches and retains solid foreign materials which pass through the drainage inlet. The strainer basket is provided with outwardly extending flanges which allow the strainer basket to be dropped into the drainage receptacle with the flanges seated on a floor surface of the drainage receptacle. U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,781 discloses a combined floor sink and strainer for removing solid particles in a fluid which passes through it. The device has a hollow substantially rectangular housing which holds a strainer basket and a locating and support structure for locating and supporting the strainer basket within the housing. Both the support structure and strainer basket have perforations to permit the passage of liquid and to preclude the passage of solid particles over a particular particle size. The strainer basket and supporting structure are provided with multiple fluid travel paths depending on the amount of debris collected in the strainer basket which prevents a reduction in fluid flow as sediment builds up in the sedimentation basket.
The present trough type strainer box is designed to allow fluid to pass through it so that the waste water is cleared of particulate matter. The box is made with a strainer basket which is easily mounted in the strainer box allowing for quick removal of the debris from the strainer and replacing it with a clean strainer basket without shutting down the appliance or the waste water disposal outlet. The removed strainer basket can be readily cleaned separate from the strainer trough. The strainer basket is provided a backup baffle or panel so that fluid can continue to flow through the outlet when the strainer box becomes filled with solid waste particles.